Minor Use Label Expansion Granted for Lorsban 4E Insecticide for Control of Onion Maggot on Green Onions in Canada

The Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) recently announced the approval of a minor use label expansion for Lorsban 4E Insecticide (chlorpyrifos) for control of onion maggot on green onions in Canada. Lorsban 4E Insecticide was already labeled for use against many insect pests of numerous field and horticultural crops in Canada and has a proven record of providing producers with effective pest management.

The minor use label expansion project for green onions was sponsored by the minor use office of OMAFRA in 1998 in response to priorities identified by producers and extension personnel in Canada. The 1998 submission was put on hold in 2000 as a result of the re-evaluation of chlorpyrifos in Canada. In 2009 the project was re-submitted to PMRA after the results of re-evaluation indicated that the proposed use could be reconsidered.

Onion maggot management on green onions has been and remains a very high priority item for green onion producers and the registration of Lorban 4E Insecticide will provide them with an effective and useful pest management tool.

For green onions, Lorsban 4E Insecticide can be applied as a drench banded over the row at a rate of 150 mL product per 1000 metres of row using 800 L of water per ha (equivalent to 3.9 – 4.9 L product per ha at row spacings of 30 – 38 cm). Lorsban 4E should be applied at the time of set planting or 7 – 10 days after seeding. A maximum of 1 application per year is permitted and the pre-harvest interval is 30 days. Consult the full label for application details.

Lorsban 4E Insecticide should be used in an integrated pest management program and in rotation with other management strategies. Follow all other precautions and directions for use on the Lorsban 4E Insecticide label.

We wish to thank the personnel of PRISME Consortium, Sherrington, Quebec, the former Bradford Growers Association and the former AAFC, Cross Sectoral Policy Development Division for helping to finance and conduct the necessary field trials. We also wish to thank the personnel of Dow Agrosciences Canada Inc. for their support of this registration and the personnel of the Pest Management Regulatory Agency for evaluating and approving this important pest management tool.